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Mississippi State vs. Auburn: How to Watch, Starting Pitchers and What to Know

Mississippi State hosts Auburn on ESPN2 in Thursday’s SEC series opener, with Tomas Valincius set to face Jake Marciano at Dudy Noble Field.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Infielder/Outfielder Blake Bevis (#33) during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS.
Mississippi State Infielder/Outfielder Blake Bevis (#33) during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State has spent most of Brian O’Connor’s first season showing it belongs in the thick of the national picture. This weekend brings another chance to prove it.

No. 11 Mississippi State hosts No. 6 Auburn for a Thursday‑to‑Saturday series at Dudy Noble Field, a matchup between two teams sitting at 14-10 in SEC play with plenty still on the line.

State has lived in these kinds of series all spring.

The Bulldogs have swept Ole Miss in Oxford, swept Vanderbilt at home, swept LSU during Super Bulldog Weekend and went to Columbia and swept South Carolina for the first time in program history.

Now they’re back at Dudy Noble, where they’re 24-6 and where the crowds have looked and sounded like a team pushing toward June.

Auburn arrives as one of the hottest teams in the league, and the rest of the weekend preview can dig into why this series feels like another measuring stick for both sides.

The Opponent: Auburn

Auburn rolls into the weekend as one of the hottest teams in the SEC and the only one riding five straight series wins. The Tigers haven’t stacked six SEC series wins in a row since the 2010-11 stretch and haven’t done it in a single season since 1995, so they’re chasing a little history.

Mississippi State is the fourth top‑10 opponent in a brutal five‑week finishing stretch for Auburn, and this trip to Starkville is also the Tigers’ third top‑10 road series in the last month. Their SEC opponents have a combined .551 winning percentage, the second‑toughest slate in the league, and the final two opponents sit at 32-16 in conference play.

Auburn has handled the challenge well. The Tigers are 12-11 against ranked teams, tied for the second most ranked wins in the SEC, and they’re 6-6 against ranked teams away from home. The offense has also found another gear. After hitting 29 homers in the first 34 games, Auburn has launched 31 in the last 13, trailing only Tennessee during that stretch.

The formula is simple: when Auburn hits, it wins. The Tigers are 31-1 when outhitting opponents this season and 24-2 when scoring six or more runs. Both trends stretch back years, too, with similar numbers over the last five seasons.

The pitching staff might be even better. Auburn leads the nation in strikeout‑to‑walk ratio, WHIP and walks allowed per nine innings, and ranks second nationally in ERA. They’ve allowed more than five runs just once in their last 15 games.

The only thing Auburn hasn’t done lately is win a series in Starkville. The Tigers haven’t pulled that off since 2017, and this weekend gives them a shot to change that against another top‑10 opponent.

Starting Pitchers

LHP Jake Marciano vs. LHP Tomas Valincius

  • Marciano: 4-3, 2.26 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 67.2 IP, 48 H, 22 R, 17 ER, 12 BB, 87 SO, .195 Opp. BA
  • Valincius: 7-2, 2.37 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 68.1 IP, 54 H, 24 R, 18 ER, 16 BB, 92 SO, .213 Opp. BA

Weather Forecast

Thursday night in Starkville should have favorable weather conditions for both the Bulldogs and Tigers. The National Weather Service forecast is for a “mostly sunny day, with a high near 72. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.” That wind direction could possibly help some fly balls to right field travel a bit further at Dudy Noble Field.

How to Watch: No. 6 Auburn at No. 11 Mississippi State

  • Who: No. 6 Auburn Tigers (33-14, 14-10 SEC) at No. 11 Mississippi State Bulldogs (37-12, 14-10 SEC)
  • When: 7 p.m., Thursday
  • Where: Dudy Noble Field, Starkville, Miss.
  • TV: ESPN2
  • Radio: Live Radio
  • Stats: Live Stats
  • Series History: Mississippi State leads the all-time series 121-100-1
  • Last Meeting: Auburn 14, Mississippi State 8 (April 27, 2025)
  • Last time out, Bulldogs: def. Nicholls, 21-6
  • Last time out, Tigers: def. UAB, 10-2

Student-Athlete Availability Report

Auburn

Out

  • IF #1 Ryne Farber
  • P #6 Drew Whalen

Mississippi State

Questionable

  • OF #5 Aidan Teel
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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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